Think up means to invent: an idea, a name, a plan, an excuse. It often suggests the idea came quickly or cleverly. Thought up is the past form: Who thought up this name?
Want to use think up in conversation?
Write a sentence — we'll show the mistakes right away and suggest how to say it more naturally.
The check is taking longer than usual. Your feedback will appear here automatically.
think up + idea/name/excuse/plan; think it up; think up a way to + verb
- We need to think up a name for our study group before Friday.
- He always thinks up a funny excuse when he's late for work.
- Who thought up the idea of a short quiz at the end of each lesson?
What changed
First versionWe need to think a name for our new project.
RevisionWe need to think up a name for our new project.
Without up, think means to use your mind, and think a name isn't English. To invent a name, you think up a name or think of a name. Only up was added in the correction.
Make up also means “to invent”, but more often about something that never actually happened: He made up a story about a lost passport. Say made up, and the listener understands the story was invented. Think up stresses resourcefulness: She thought up a clever slogan.
Your turn
The rain ruined our picnic, so the kids ___ a new game to play indoors.
Show the answer
thought up — The children invented a new game on the spot, so thought up. Thought over means considered, which is what you do with an offer or a decision, not how you invent a game.
Describe how you came up with a name for a project, a pet or a group chat. Give the name and say why you chose it.
My friends and I thought up the name Night Owls for our study chat because we always revise after midnight.
Learn to use new words without mistakes
Write phrases with the words you are learning. LetsWords shows mistakes in usage and grammar, suggests corrections and explains them, and review helps the words stick.